


Uptown Urchin

by starlightspeedway99



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Makani is a adorable mess, New Friends, Other, non-binary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22980703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightspeedway99/pseuds/starlightspeedway99
Summary: Frederick introduces Makani to his little cousin, Ronnie. The two are just about the same age, will they hit it off?
Relationships: OC/OC, Ronnie/Makani





	Uptown Urchin

The two friends weaved their way through the Shinkai district and eventually made it to Frederick’s apartment. Although out of breath, Makani regained some of their composure. That is, until they remembered why they were here in the first place. Singing for an audience? No problem. Learning how to use a capture card and start live streaming on the weekends? Hard, but not too bad. But making new friends? Oh good cod, that’s asking too much! With a deep breath, they knocked on the door and nervously waited for the purple Octoling to answer. 

“Oh, hey! Glad you two could make it!” Fredrick said warmly as he answered the door. He took Makani’s little hand and practically dragged them inside, with Dia following behind closely. 

“Zack, Ronnie!” He shouted eagerly, a half smile painting his face. “Makani and Dia are here!” 

“Sheesh, we know! And we’re right here, you don’t have to yell!” Zack laughed heartily. He put down his sticks and got up from his stool by the drumset, making his way over to Makani to give them a big bear hug. Laughing with glee, Makani wrapped their arms around him and hugged back, instantly feeling much calmer. 

At the sound of all the commotion, the younger, quieter Octoling boy sitting at the dining table got up from his chair and curiously glanced over at the other teen his age. The two awkwardly made eye contact before he turned his attention to the other guest. 

“G-good to see you!” He exclaimed, his brown eyes lit up with excitement. 

“Ronnie~!” Dia squealed. “You got so tall since I saw you! You’re even taller than me now!” She chuckled, looking up a little to meet his gaze. 

“Um, thanks!” Ronnie replied softly. . 

“I wish I could stay and hear about school and all that, but I actually gotta go soon!” Dia sighed. She put her hands on Makani’s shoulder’s proudly and grinned. “This is my friend, Makani! Their pronouns are they slash them, and I think you guys are the same age? Right?” She glanced over at Frederick for reassurance, who only replied with a thumbs-up. “Right! But yeah, Makani’s a musician just like you, and their a gamer, too!” 

“Oh, um-”

“Sweet! I hope you guys can be friends, or at least talk a little bit!” Dia sighed and checked her phone for the time. Plenty of time to get there and still be early. She gave each of the three boys a hug before she gave Makani a kiss on the forehead. 

“I’ll be back later to pick you up, okay? Text me whenever you’re ready, and I’ll be right over!” She said softly. 

The two shared a long hug before Dia put her shoes back on in the doorway. 

“Oh, Frederick?” She yelled from the door. 

“Yeah?” He grumbled back.

“Dark skin, mint-green tentacles, bob-cut, right?”

“Yup.”

“Thanks, love you, bye!” 

Zack shot his boyfriend a puzzled look as he sat back down at his drumset. He stroked his chin a few times, getting a laugh out of the Octoling. 

“Stop that, “ Frederick snickered. He stretched his legs over his turntables lazily and placed his laptop on his lap before replying. “Dia’s meeting up with a friend of mine today. Today’s the first time they’re meeting in person, so she just wanted to make sure what she looks like. ”

“Really, now?” 

“Yeah….” He sighed as he began combing through the track he was working on. “I showed the girl a clip of Dia singing one day at work, and it was like, love at first sight. Then she bullied me into giving her Dia’s number, and here we are. “ 

Makani sat down on the couch with a sigh, and was soon joined by Ronnie, his notes and schoolbooks in tow. They made eye contact once again, but this time, the azure Octoling was met with a gentle smile. 

“You’re a musician?” He asked softly. 

“Um, yeah! I sing, and I um, I work for Jellypop. I mostly do future bass and stuff. ” Makani replied shyly. They crossed their legs and folded their hands neatly on their lap. “What about you?”

“Nothing that cool. I play trombone and sometimes guitar for my school band.” Ronnie replied back, running a hand through his afro. 

“And he’s in his school’s marching band, jazz band, and-” Frederick interrupted from across the room, his eyes still glued to his laptop. 

“Nobody asked you!” Ronnie chuckled, getting a laugh out of Makani. 

“Really? You’re insane! I could never do all of that at the same time!” 

“You’re too nice! I’m honestly not that special ...“

Makani giggled with glee. They uncrossed their legs and started tapping their feet on the carpet excitedly. “You’re from Inkopolis, right? What neighborhood are you from? I live in the Konbu district!” 

“That’s kinda far from here! “ Ronnie commented. “I’m from Inkopolis Heights, myself.” 

A cool breeze of silence blew through the room. Makani’s jaw dropped at just the mention of the area. They looked to Zack and Frederick for some sort of solidarity, but the two were unphased, and instead were bickering about something else. 

“Y-you mean, that really really rich neighborhood where all the houses are mansions?” 

“Well, yeah! But that’s not necessarily all true! Like, I don’t live in a mansion!”

Makani snickered at that last bit and grabbed one of the pillows on the couch, hugging it like a stuffed animal. “Okay, sure! But that must mean your family’s pretty well off if you can afford to live there, right?”

Ronnie rolled his eyes as he thought of the best way to word this. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Well, I'm impressed!” 

“Wait, what?”

“Most rich kids I knew were hella snobby or just horrible people to talk to, but you’re pretty cool!” 

The two teenagers shared a laugh as Ronnie’s face flushed bright red. Zack and Fredrick glanced over at the two as smiled together, finally seeing their genius plan come together. 

The dj cleared his throat a little before getting his cousin’s attention. “Ronnie, do me a huge favor!”

“Y-yeah, sure!” He replied, a little surprised. 

Frederick pulled his wallet out of his hoodie’s pocket and took out a few bills. “You and Makani should go buy us a pizza or something- it’s almost lunchtime.”

Ronnie nodded and got up to take the money with a little grin on his face. “Oh, perfect!” He chirped. “How about I show you around here while we’re at it, Makani? I know a ton of good spots! Oh, but only if you want to!” 

“Um, sure?” Makani replied. “But like, isn’t it dangerous to just be walking around Shinkai like that?” 

“Nah,” Zack chuckled. “It seems scary, but it’s not bad once you know the place! Take risks, live a little! Just stay together and you kids will be fine!” 

“Oh gosh…” Makani mumbled under their breath. 

The two younger Octolings put their shoes on and left the apartment together, walking shoulder to shoulder like old friends. Still trying to adjust to their surroundings, Makani looked around nervously, taking it all in. 

Ronnie shoved his hands in his pockets and studied his new friend’s expression. Instantly, he figured what was on their mind.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Y-yeah, actually!” Makani admitted. “Dia told me that it was practically like...the slums of Inkopolis, but it’s not what I expected.” He exhaled heavily and shoved their hands in their pockets, copying their friend. “You’ve probably been here before, but why do you know so much about this place?”

“Well,” He began, an amused look on his face. “I like hanging out with Frederick a lot, so I was always over here. But, I used to be scared of the Shinkai district too. I grew up in a rich area, so I was pretty nervous to be walking the streets like this. But, I couldn’t tell my parents that, or else they wouldn’t let me see Fred anymore- so I learned how to be brave, I guess?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, and now these streets are mine!” He laughed. 

Makani tilted their head out of confusion. “What do you mean-”

“Hey, Ronnie! Do you and your date want some cheesy fries?” 

A loud, booming shout interrupted Makani’s entire train of thought as the two teens both turned to face where it came from. Ronnie grinned as he recognized the the shouting Inkling man in question. 

“Oh hey, Lorenzo! Hell yeah, we’ll take some!” Ronnie shouted back. He took Makani by the hand and ran over to the little street stall, lured by the smell of food. 

The older Inkling laughed heartily and dished the pair a cardboard plate of fries, and doused the whole thing in a bright orange cheese sauce. He handed the plate to Makani with a whole stack of napkins before waving them off with a smile. 

Ronnie grabbed a fry and quickly shoved it in his mouth, and immediately regretted it. It was piping hot and burned his tongue, but still, he went in for another. 

“Careful, don’t burn your tongue like I did!” He snickered. 

“Hold on, don’t we have to pay for these? We can’t just take them for free!” Makani whispered loudly, jabbing Ronnie in the side with their elbow. 

“Nah. That guy’s known me for a while, so it’s all good.” He replied in between bites. 

“He just...gives you free food like this?”

“Yup! The folks around here are honestly pretty nice if you get to know them!”He laughed, grinning from ear to ear. 

Makani nodded and downed a few of the fries in one bite. “No wonder why you look so at home here!” They commented, almost in awe. 

“Honestly, this place feels more like my real home. That’s why I try and dress like this so I can fit in.” He gestured to his hoodie as he spoke, drawing attention to it. “If I showed up here in my school uniform, nobody would take me seriously.”

“Imagine?” 

“Right? Like, here comes this kid in a blazer and dress pants trying to, I dunno, do some tricks on his roller blades while blasting pop punk on his phone or something!”

The thought alone made the two burst into a fit of giggles, Makani especially. 

“But anyways, I know a guy who makes this crazy good iced tea! It’s like, super strong black tea, but he sweetens it with condensed milk and heavy cream! How about we get some, and  _ then _ go get that pizza.”

“That sounds awesome, I wanna try it!” Makani cheered. 

The two Octolings strolled along together, sharing jokes and cheesy fries without a care in the world. Nothing had changed since Makani had first got here, but yet this slum began to seem so much...brighter. Despite foul air, the dirty streets, the urchins peddling their illegal- these streets began to show off another side of them. 

Makani gazed at their new friend in awe, curious to see what else he could show them. He was like the prince of this place- beloved by all. Except instead of a fancy outfit and a royal demeanor, he had sweatpants...and a very dorky laugh. 


End file.
